INTERNET OF THINGS INTELLIGENT GAS METER AND CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20130304264A1
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chengdu Qinchuan Iot Technology Co.Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Zehua Shao
• Inventors: Shao, Zehua
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/0755 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0629 characterised by the type of regulator means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/001 for gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

This invention discloses an Internet of things (IoT) intelligent gas meter and its control system. It is a kind of intelligent gas meter consisting of a base meter, a CPU control module and a data transmission module. A gas source outlet and a gas source inlet are installed on the base meter, and an electromechanical valve is installed near the gas source inlet. The CPU control module is connected to the base meter and sends control signals to the base meter. The gas consumption criterion of the base meter can be adjusted via the CPU control module; The said CPU control module includes an EEPROM data storage device; the data transmission module is indirectly connected to the IoT and connected to a remote computer management system via the IoT; the data transmission module receives the control signal from the remote computer management system and feeds back gas consumption information of the gas meter sent by the CPU control module to the computer management system. This invention provides an IoT intelligent gas meter and relevant control system that could be applied to all the gas supply networks with wide scope of application and convenience for promotion.

Claims

1. An internet of things (IoT) intelligent gas meter includes a base meter, a CPU control module and a data transmission module, a gas source outlet and a gas source inlet are installed on the base meter, and an electromechanical valve is installed near the gas source inlet, the CPU control module is connected to the base meter and sends control signals to the base meter, the gas consumption criterion of the base meter can be adjusted via the CPU control module, which is characterized in that:

the CPU control module includes an EEPROM data storage device;

the data transmission module is indirectly connected to the IoT and connected to a remote computer management system via the IoT;

the data transmission module receives the control signal from the remote computer management system and feeds back gas consumption information of the gas meter sent by the CPU control module to the computer management system;

the data transmission module includes a signal transmitter and signal receiver, which can exchange date with the CPU control module via the data command busbar, the signal transmitter is connected to the data concentrator in a wired or wireless manner, the data concentrator is connected to the Internet via the network communication protocol and sends the concentrated gas status data from the gas meter to the computer management system in the form of data packets;

the CPU control module adjusts the information in EEPROM data storage device and encrypts thereof, and sends the encrypted information date to the Internet via the signal transmitter in the data transmission module according to the established communication protocol in the form of data packets, the data packets are forwarded to the computer management system across the Internet.

2. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 1 above, wherein the control signal is sent to the data concentrator by the computer management system via the Internet in the form of data packets, the data concentrator transmits the received control signal to the data transmission module on the gas meter in a wired or wireless manner.

3. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 2, wherein the data command bus is RS485 busbar;

the said network communication protocol is TCP/IP communication protocol or UDP communication protocol.

4. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 2, wherein the wireless transmission mode is any one of the infrared signal, optical signal, ultrasonic signal, microwave signal or GPRS signal;

the wire mode transmission mode is any one of the optical fiber transmission, power line carrier, RS232 busbar, RS485 busbar, M-BUS instrumentation busbar, CAN busbar.

5. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 2, wherein data packets received and transmitted by the data concentrator are the one encrypted by the CPU control module;

the signal is packed by the signal transmitter when transmitted, after receiving the external signal, the signal receiver unpacks and converts the signal into executable instructions which are transmitted to the CPU control module to be decrypted via the data command busbar and to be operated.

6. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 1, wherein the said CPU control module further includes FLASH program memory for storing the control program operated in the CPU control module and specifying the program in the FLASH program memory to make the gas meter complete the processing work of signal reception and the feedback.

7. The IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 1, wherein the CPU control module mainly includes the CPU controller, which is respectively connected to the sampling circuit of the counting dry reed pipe, control circuit of electromechanical valve, number-deducting circuit and liquid crystal display circuit;

the CPU controller is connected with the counting dry reed pipe the basal meter via the sampling circuit of the counting dry reed pipe;

the CPU controller is connected with the electromechanical valve via the electromechanical valve control circuit and controls the opening and closing thereof;

the CPU controller is connected with the liquid crystal display (LCD) via the liquid crystal display circuit and controls the data displayed by the LCD;

the CPU controller is connected with the EEPROM data memory via the number-deducting circuit and conducts the deduction processing to the gas meter in combination with the number-deducting circuit.

8. A control system of the IoT intelligent gas meter wherein the control system consists of multiple IoT intelligent gas meters described in claim 1, at least one data concentrator and a remote computer management system, wherein each IoT intelligent gas meter is used as a node in the control system;

the node is connected to the data concentrator and transmits the data of its own to the data concentrator;

after collecting the data from multiple nodes, the data concentrator is connected to the Internet via the interface of IoT and transmits the data to the computer management system.

9. The control system of the IoT intelligent gas meter according to claim 8, wherein said interface of the IoT is any one of the dial-up interface of telephone line, optical fiber broadband interface, ADSL interface and GPRS interface.

10. The control system of the IoT intelligent gas meter, according to claim 8, wherein the computer management system is integrated with charge management system and working state management system of gas meter, wherein the charge management system comprises:

a basic data module;

used to manage site settings, regional settings, the meter type settings, payment type settings, the manufacturer settings, administrator settings and the invoice format settings;

a gas sales business management module;

used for gas consumers to open an account, pay the fees, refund and supplement gas;

a financial statements management module;

used to prepare basic information report of the gas consumer, the payment information reports of the gas consumer, the meter reading information report of the gas consumer, daily report, monthly report and annual reports;

the working state management system of gas meter comprises;

a regional management module;

used to set the management site, management community, management unit and management building;

a user management module;

used for the gas consumer to cancel the account, transfer and modify the basic information of the gas consumer;

a usage state management module;

used to inquiry the historical state and instantaneous state;

the historical status query includes the historical query of remote switch valve, historical query of remote meter reading, historical query of online payment and historical query of gas price adjustment;

the instantaneous state query includes the low gas alarm query, high-low pressure protection query, super flow protection query, time-out protection query, strong magnetic protection query, remaining amount query, cumulative gas consumption, cumulative recharge amount query and instant gas price query;

a maintenance management module;

used to eliminate HP and LP failures, superfluid failure, timeout failure and magnetic interference failure;

a meter replacement management module;

used to inquiry the information of the recorded faulted meter, record the information of the new meter and transfer the data.